Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
AP
SAN ANTONIO - As Kansas’ 84-66 victory over North Carolina wound down, Brandon Rush looked into the Alamodome stands and smiled.
“I was looking at my mama (Glenda Rush),” Rush said. “She was so proud of me. She was just smiling back at me.”
This was the ultimate “Hi, mom” moment.
Rush scored 25 points, three fewer than his career high, as the Jayhawks stunned the Tar Heels in the national semifinals Saturday night. No other Jayhawk had more than 12.
Rush’s mother will have another chance to see Rush play Monday night, when Kansas goes for its third NCAA title and first since 1988 against Memphis. The Jayhawks have a shot if Rush plays the way he did early on against the Tar Heels.
With five minutes to go in the first half, the score was even.
Brandon Rush 12, North Carolina 12.
Kansas needed Rush to come out hot against the mighty Tar Heels, the top-seeded team in the NCAA tournament, and did he ever.
He hit five of his first six shots from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers. Rush isn’t the most vocal leader, but with each bucket he seemed to be telling his teammates, “We can do this.”
Rush’s fast start helped the Jayhawks build an early 28-point lead.
“He knocked shots down for us,” teammate Russell Robinson said. “We got out in transition and got easy baskets. We got him going early.”
Rush finished 11-for-17 from the floor, a career high for field goals.
Rush also had seven rebounds, which put him among Kansas’ leaders on a night the Jayhawks hammered North Carolina 42-33 on the boards.
“He was very aggressive and played one of his best games,” teammate Sasha Kaun said.
All in all, it was a big night for the junior from Kansas City — and what he envisioned when he endured the long recovery from knee surgery last summer.
“It definitely means the world to me,” Rush said. “This is one of my goals since I’ve been back at Kansas and during my whole rehabbing thing.”
There’s been heavy speculation that Rush will declare himself eligible for the NBA draft after the season. After all, he appeared headed for the NBA last year. But those plans changed abruptly when Rush tore his right anterior cruciate ligament, and he returned to the Jayhawks.
His recovery from June surgery was difficult at times, but Rush said he felt “100 percent” as he entered the postseason.
He looked it Saturday, though he wasn’t nearly as dominant down the stretch as he was in the first half. As Carolina edged within 10 points midway through the second half, Rush badly missed on a pair of 3-pointers.
The player who had vowed one day earlier to attack the basket was suddenly content to launch jumpers — exactly what coach Bill Self didn’t want Rush to do.
But Rush turned aggressive again as the Jayhawks recovered from a midgame swoon and put the Tar Heels away.
With Kansas clinging to a 67-61 lead with about 5 minutes remaining, Rush dribbled past a defender and sliced into the lane for a left-handed lay-up.
North Carolina never came within eight points the rest of the way.
“Brandon played great today,” teammate Darnell Jackson said. “He was unbelievable.”
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points and Evan Smotrycz added 13, helping No. 22 Michigan remain unbeaten at home with a 70-61 win over Illinois on Sunday.
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Men's NCAA Championship |
UNC 89, Michigan St. 72 |
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
